Since the start of his journey in the East Blue, Monkey D. Luffy’s meteoric rise to the uppermost echelons of the pirate world in One Piece may be unprecedented for some, but it is also a marker of his singular dedication to his goal. Even when he first set out to sea, Luffy’s objective was clear and simple, as he sought to become the King of the Pirates and claim the legendary treasure left behind by Gol D. Roger. Now, having the title of an Emperor of the Sea bestowed upon him after defeating Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, Luffy’s goal seems almost within reach for a number of reasons.

He is undoubtedly among the strongest pirates in the New World in One Piece, possessing immense fighting capabilities as well as a long list of powerful subordinates and allies, and his crew also has access to three Road Poneglyphs. Time and time again, Luffy has shown his ability to rise up to his challenges and grow in strength to emerge victorious against them. With this in mind, is he now finally strong enough to claim the title he has desired since childhood?

The Notoriety Of An Emperor

Even after his exploits on Whole Cake Island, Luffy was dubbed the “Fifth Emperor,” and given a higher bounty of 1.5 billion berries, which brought him into completely new territory. This was a marker that he was now closer to the level of the Four Emperors than before, but there was still some doubt on whether he could fight on par with them.

Despite this, his fame as a pirate and danger to the World Government were undeniable, as his reckless and stubborn nature landed him in monumental amounts of trouble at every island he visited. Luffy’s natural charisma and capacity for leadership also won him a lot of supporters over the course of his travels with his crew, and the consequences of his fame first emerged during the Dressrosa Arc, when he met some of his admirers for the first time.

As an Emperor of the Sea is also judged by the firepower and troops they have at their command, Luffy is no slouch, as he is the de facto leader of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, which comprises seven powerful pirate crews who allied themselves with the Straw Hat Pirates after their combined effort to overthrow the former Warlord of the Sea, Donquixote Doflamingo in Dressrosa. In addition to this, Luffy also has informal alliances with the nations of Fish-Man Island, Wano Country, and Arabasta, having liberated them from their tyrannical rulers over the course of his journey. This list is only expected to grow as the story progresses.

One Of The Strongest In The New World

After the time skip, Luffy’s individual strength has also seen remarkable growth, after enduring a few setbacks along the way. Initially, when his title of the “Fifth Emperor” was publicized, Luffy still had a ways to go in order to compete with fully fledged Emperors such as Big Mom, Shanks, Blackbeard, or Kaido.

This became very evident in his first and second fights against Kaido in Wano Country, where he was comprehensively defeated by the leader of the Beasts Pirates in practically no time, hinting that there was an abyss between them in terms of strength. In time, Luffy was able to gradually bridge this gap by honing his command over his Haki, effectively channeling his efforts into mastering advanced Armament Haki, and later, learning how to infuse Conqueror’s Haki into his attacks.

Slowly and steadily, he managed to level the playing field in his long and drawn out battle against Kaido, until fortune smiled on him once again, to give him the exact power up he needed to surpass his formidable adversary. This boost in strength came in the form of his Devil Fruit Awakening now known as Gear 5, which was accompanied by the revelation that he was actually in possession of a Mythical Zoan fruit known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and not a Paramecia type.

Carrying The Name Of A God

This new piece of information carried massive implications throughout the world of One Piece, due to the fact that Luffy’s Devil Fruit carries the name of a legendary deity known as Sun God Nika. Myths about Nika have become more prominent in the story since the Raid on Onigashima, and characters such as Zunesha have even connected him to the equally revered historical figure from the Void Century known as Joy Boy, who is said to be the one who left the One Piece on Laugh Tale.

Furthermore, Luffy’s exploits have also earned the attention of the Five Elders, who have been trying and failing to obtain his Devil Fruit for centuries. There is merit to their concern, as Gear 5 boasts an explosive degree of power to the point where Luffy can manipulate the very fabric of reality and is only limited by his imagination.

Although such claims may seem ridiculous, they were all but proved true when he was able to take on and incapacitate Admiral Kizaru on Egghead Island. As a result, there is no telling how powerful Luffy could become once he fully masters this power, since he is still prone to extreme fatigue whenever he reaches his limits with Gear 5.

Currently, the only people who can trouble Luffy in a fight would be the Five Elders, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Shanks, and perhaps Blackbeard, as he is undoubtedly one of the strongest combatants in the world. In this manner, he might be strong enough to reach Laugh Tale and claim the title of Pirate King, but there is no telling how he will fare against Marines, pirates, or World Nobles who are fairly stronger than him. Hence, he must perfect his control over Gear 5 in order to be the undisputed strongest pirate in the world, worthy of holding on to the title and carrying out Joy Boy’s will once he obtains it.

One Piece is available to stream on Prime Video.

Src: gamerant.com